Worth the Risk
by Scorpionislife
Summary: This is a multi-chapter fanfiction about Walter and Paige and how their relationship evolves and how it leads Walter, Paige and Ralph into becoming a family. WAIGE is such an amazing ship and I'm excited to see season 3 because I want them to be canon so bad, lol... That didn't relate to the fanfic at all, but whatever. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**~Worth the Risk~**

[Walter, Paige] Romance

Waige story beginning

in the garage after a exhausting day at

work.

Once the team arrived back at the garage they all pretty much

collapsed in a comfy spot. As they should, considering the

extremely stressful case they were working on for the last four hours.

Happy went to her trailer, Toby was lying face first on the red couch

right by the entrance, Sylvester relaxed in his desk chair after

pumping some Germ-X in his hands. Walter didn't see Paige in the downstairs

of the garage, so he assumed she had gone to pick up Ralph from his babysitter.

Since, everyone was tired, including himself, he decided not to work on his rocket

and to just head up to the loft to get a nice shower and then crack some encryption software on his computer. He was far to exhausted to take the stairs two

steps at a time, so instead he tread slowly up the steps, hitting each step on his way

to the loft. Once he got there, he picked out the clothes he was going to wear to sleep

and walked into the sitting area, right outside his bedroom. He was nearly scared to death when he saw Paige sitting on the couch, tinkering with her phone. Thoughts

consumed his mind wondering what would have happened if he decided to shower

without coming in the room, Paige would have been feet away from him in the shower.

Paige had been sitting up in the loft since they arrived, just to get complete silence and

tell Ralph that he could have a sleepover with his friend from school. She never liked leaving him alone with his babysitter all night, because she knew how it felt to have that responsibility. She never really liked being in her apartment alone, just because it was, well, lonely. So, she decided to sit in the loft for an hour or so before heading out. She hardly even noticed Walter enter the room, until she heard him breathing heavy.

"Are you okay?" She asked, with a small, concerned grin.

"Um.. Yes, I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting you to be here. I thought you had gone to pick up Ralph, is the babysitter still watching him?" Walter answered, full concern in his voice.

Paige deeply appreciated how caring Walter was about Ralph. Nobody, other than herself, ever cared about Ralph enough to ask of his whereabouts or how his day had gone, not even his father. "No, the babysitter dropped him off at his friends house, he's having a sleepover tonight." Paige answers simply.

Walter smiled, "It's amazing how well he has adjusted to things like that so quickly. It's great he's finally fitting in and creating friendships, none of us could have ever done that. You're a great mother, Paige." Walter told her with a proud tone.

Paige was thrilled with his reply. He's never really told her she was a great mother before with full confidence. He's evolved just as much as Ralph has, and it was definitely showing. "Thank you, Walter. That was very sweet." She replied, just after the words came out of her mouth she jumped up and gave Walter a tight hug.

Walter surprisingly returned the favor and a smile formed on his face. "You're welcome."

After hugging for a full minute, Walter counted the seconds, Paige pulled away, "I should probably head back home, it was a busy day."

Walter's smile faded, "Oh uh, yeah. Have a good night." Walter said with a disappointed tone.

Just as Paige started to head for the stairs something possessed Walter to stop her. He grabbed her arm, "Please, don't go." Paige turned around, confusion struck her face. "I mean.. Um.. You sh-shouldn't be driving if your so tired, maybe you should stay here. You can sleep in my bed and I'll take the couch. Plus, nobody's home anyway so it will be lonely. " Walter replied quickly, making sure to clear her confusion.

A smile formed on Paige's lips, "Thank you, Walter. But, I don't want to steal your bed. You need rest just as much as I do."

"It's fine, I'll manage. Please, it would be my fault if something happened while you were driving, plus it's more efficient. There's no need to go home, you can borrow some of my clothes." Walter offered again.

"Fine. I don't want you feeling guilty if something _did_ happen. Do you mind if I use your shower?" She asked.

Walter wanted to shower, but he could wait. "Uh, sure let me get your clothes, follow me."

Paige followed Walter to his bedroom where he quickly found a white t-shirt and some sweat pants and then gave her a towel and told her she could change in his room and he would wait in the sitting area. She agreed and went to shower. About forty-five minutes later she was all done. She slowly opened the door and walked into the sitting area, where Walter was supposed to be sitting. She figured he had gone downstairs, so she walked slowly down the steps and headed towards the kitchen. Walter was sitting at a stool and was drinking a bottled water, while staring at the blank wall.

"I'm done, so if you want to shower or change you can." She said softly.

"Okay. Oh let me get you an extra blanket, it gets cold because of the window." Walter stated as he ran up the stairs in the loft and grabbed a plush blanket that was draped over the back of the couch. Paige followed.

"Thanks, I can sit out here while you change if you would like." Paige said, with a yawn following.

Walter didn't really feel like showering anymore and since he wasn't sleeping in his bed, he didn't really need to. "No, that's okay. I'll just change out here. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Paige replied and then quickly walked to the door and left it cracked open, so she could hear her phone if Ralph called.

Walter set up the couch with a few pillows and a comforter, so it would be more comfortable. Even though he was tired, he couldn't sleep, so he lied on the couch and tried to get Paige out of his mind, which was a very hard task. Hours went by and it was already 2 AM. He pretended to sleep when he heard footsteps coming from his bedroom.

Paige tapped on his shoulder, "Walter, are you awake?" She whispered softly. Walters eyes fluttered open, "Yes, is everything alright, is Ralph okay?" He asked, assuming she had to go pick up Ralph.

Paige smiled "Ralph's fine. I'm just having a hard time sleeping. Usually Ralph comes to my room during the middle of the night, either with a bad dream or just because he wanted company, so I guess I'm a little lonely. Will you come lay with me?" She asked, knowing it was hard for her to have Ralph at a sleepover and because the couch was not comfortable at all, he decided to go.

"Sure." He said, he stood up and ran a hand through his hair. He slowly followed Paige back to bedroom. Paige went back to the right side of the bed, and Walter laid down on the left, turning away from Paige, considering they weren't in a relationship, even though they both secretly wanted to be in one, it was a little awkward. They both laid there in a comfortable silence and stared at the ceiling. After about fifteen minutes Paige turned to Walter, who had now transitioned to his back, "Walter, why did you really want me to stay?" She asked. This question had been plaguing her mind since she got in the shower. Walter claimed he didn't have emotions so why did he want her to stay, why did he agree to sleep in the same bed as her?

Walter seen this question coming sooner or later. He had always told himself that love was imaginary and that it didn't exist and that he didn't have emotions, but as he got to know Paige he wondered if he was wrong. "Because I care about you, and I didn't want you to be lonely."

Paige's expression was blank, she had expected him to say something smart or say it was efficient, like he said before. "I care about you too, Walter." Was all she could say.

Walter smiled at her comment and felt an urge rush over him. Without thinking he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, and saw she was happy about what just happened, then she kissed him hard on the mouth, she threw her hands around his neck and one hand traveled to his curly hair. Slowly they pulled away from each other and smiled. Paige rested her head on his shoulder and Walter wrapped his arm around her waist. A couple minutes went by and Walter fell right asleep, holding the women he had fallen in love with from the moment they met.

 **To Be Continued..**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Toby and Happy just finished their coffee date and arrived at the garage for work. When they walked in the door there was a deafening silence throughout the garage.

"I would have thought that Walter would have been up by now and Paige and Sylvester usually get here before Ralph even goes to school, where is everyone?" Happy questioned, with a confused look on her face.

"I don't know, I'm gonna go wake up Walter. I'm surprised Cabe isn't here either, usually he has a case for us by now." Toby responded and then ran up the stairs. He quietly opened the door to Walter's bedroom. He wasn't expecting what was on the other side, Paige and Walter sleeping in each others arms, he snapped a picture and then quickly ran down to the lower level where Happy was.

"You have to see this!" Toby exclaimed as he walked over to Happy very quickly. He whipped out his phone and the screen had the picture of Walter and Paige.

"No way, since when were they together?" Happy asked, with an intrigued expression.

"I didn't even know they were, let alone sleeping in the same bed. I didn't even know Paige was here last night. I thought she left once we arrived." Toby replied.

"Well apparently, she didn't. We have to wake them up so they can be embarrassed." Happy mused.

"I like the way you think." And with that Toby and Happy ran up the stairs. They were standing besides Walter's bed. Toby shook him, "Walter wake up."

Walter opened one eye, "what do you want, get out of my room." He yelled. Paige's eyes fluttered open to the sudden scream.

"It's almost 10:00, if you didn't remember we have this thing we have to do called work, so get up Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien" Toby yelled back.

Walter and Paige looked at each other with an embarrassment in their eyes, "Cabe doesn't even have any cases for us, so why do we have to get up now, can't we sleep one more hour." Paige deadpanned.

"How late were you two up?" Happy finally piped in.

"Get out!" Walter ended the conversation.

Toby and Happy ran down the stairs and ran out of the garage.

"Maybe we can do something else today, don't want to bother 197." Toby teased.

"Ya, they won't need us at the garage it seems, anyway." Happy replied.

Paige and Walter sat in a comfortable silence, just enjoying each others company. Walter couldn't believe that he had spent the night holding onto the women he had fallen in love with and that he found the situation quite comfortable.

"I can't believe they just barged in your room like that, how rude." Paige said.

"Yeah, I wish I would have locked the door to keep out unwanted company, but it's too late now." Walter responded.

"Yeah well, they were probably right maybe we should get up, I'm a little hungry. We could go out to lunch and then pick up Ralph from school and then go to the museum or something. I mean if you want." Paige offered.

"I'd love to." Walter answered and kissed her forehead.

Paige got some clothes from her desk that she kept at the garage incase they ever had a case that damaged her clothing, and got ready, Walter got ready afterward and about an hour and a half later they left the garage. They decided to go to the diner that Paige used to work at because they both knew the menu fairly well and would be able to come up with a decision quickly. Once they got there they both ordered waters.

"So I was thinking maybe we could go to Six Flags after school instead of going to the museum, because Ralph and I have gone there so many times we basically memorized the entire museum." Walter chuckled. "Plus, he would have a lot of fun, it's only an hour drive and it's Friday so we don't have to worry about taking Ralph to school the next day. My treat." Walter was basically pleading.

"I'm sure he would love that and it's sounds like a lot of fun, but I don't want you spending all your money."

"Please, it's fairly cheap and I don't pay for very many things anyway. I mean I get free cable and Internet because of a software I developed and I only have to pay rent, electricity and gas." Walter added.

"Fine. He really does like that place, I took him there about two years ago because I got a bonus and had a lot of money already saved so I figured I had a little extra to spend, I just wish I knew what he was talking about when he was describing the roller coasters." Paige's mind flashed back to when she and Ralph had went to six flags and he kept talking about the velocity of the rides and how he knew the distance it would take to get to every ride.

"You know he really is amazing, he'll be able to do great things one day. I'm sure he'll have a great time. Not to mention their cotton candy is pretty good, so he should like that." Walter grinned at the smile on Paige's lips.

Shortly after, the waitress walked over to their table and took their orders Paige had a club sandwich and Walter had a cheeseburger. It took about 15 minutes for the food to get to their table, they passed the time with small talk. Once their food arrived they ate in silence, just enjoying their food. Once they were done eating, Walter payed the bill and then drove the two of them back to the garage.

"We have to leave to pick up Ralph in an hour, so we should probably make good use of our time." Paige said.

"We should probably get a bag ready for Six Flags. With a couple blankets, jackets and a snack for Ralph because he will probably be hungry after a day at school. Is it okay if we watch the firework show as well, it's will be fun and it's included in an all day pass." Walter explained.

Paige was a little disappointed at his response, she was hoping he would catch on to what she was offering considering they had an entire hour alone in the garage. But he was right that they had to pack a bag and a snack for Ralph so she decided not to say anything about it. "That sounds really fun, and we have no where else to be, so sure." Paige answered.

"Great!" Walter exclaimed.

Walter ran upstairs and got a bag and some blankets and both of their jackets, along with Ralph's. He packed a bottle of water and a bag of sun chips as an after school snack for Ralph.

Walter looked at his watch "Paige, we gotta go if we want to get Ralph on time. I'll drive." Walter told her.

"Okay, I'll get the bag and then we can head out." Paige grabbed the bag and headed towards Walter. "He's gonna love it!" Paige kissed him hard on the mouth and Walter cupped her cheeks in his hands. Paige pulled away and smiled, which got the same response by Walter, He pulled her in for another long, wet kiss and then she pulled away. "Well, we don't want to be late." Paige said, as she lightly smacked his cheek. Walter nodded in agreement and locked the garage once they were outside.

After about 10 minutes they arrived at Ralph's school and we're waiting in the car, for him to get out.

"He's not going to expect this at all, I can't wait to see his reaction!" Paige exclaimed.

"The bell rings in less than a minute let's wait outside the car so we can see his full reaction." Walter suggested.

"Good idea." Just as Paige said that, Walter unlocked the car, jumped out and walked to Paige's door to open it. They leaned against the car waiting for the bell to ring.

20 seconds went by and the bell buzzed. Ralph ran out the door and didn't stop until he was right in front of Walter and Paige.

"Hey Ralph, how was school buddy?" Walter asked.

"It was okay, how was work?" Ralph questioned.

Walter smiled, "well we actually didn't have any cases today so we just hung out at the garage. Me and your mother have some exciting news for you though." Walter said with excitement in his voice.

"Really?" A smile was plastered on his face.

"Yup, we decided since there are no cases and there's no school or work tomorrow we would go to... Six Flags!" Paige revealed.

"Uhh.. Cool, thanks mom!" Ralph ran and hugged his mom.

"Don't thank me, thank Walter he suggested it and he's willing to drive us right now." Paige replied.

Without another word Ralph held Walter in a tight hug, which Walter returned. "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Walter!"

Walter smiled, "Your welcome, buddy."

They all loaded into the car and rode in silence most of the ride. Ralph had noticed that his mom and Walter were holding hands and decided to note it, to see if they did anything else that they usually didn't do. Once they got to the park Walter paid for their tickets and they entered.

"The last time I was here I wasn't able to go on most of the roller coasters, but now I'm tall enough. I really wanted to go on Full Throttle, can we?" Ralph pleaded.

"Of course, let's go, the lines are pretty short today." Walter answered.

Paige, Walter and Ralph waited in line for about 15 minutes and then choose which car they wanted to go in. They choose the second car because you won't feel the intensity as much and the people in front of them would make sure bugs don't fly in their faces. Paige sat on the left, Ralph in the middle and Walter on the right. Ralph was getting a little fidgety which didn't go unnoticed by Walter. Walter grabbed Ralph's hand "It's okay, buddy, trust me it's going to be fun. How about to calm your nerves you focus on the curvature of the track and the velocity each car will go." Walter suggested.

Ralph nodded, "O-okay." Ralph began calculating the exact distance of the ride and how long the ride would be. When he was waiting in line he kept calculating how fast the line of cars went. Once he finished his calculations and made the conclusion that there is a slim chance anything horrible would happen, he loosened up his stance.

"The rides about to start," Paige said. "Are you nervous?" Paige had been turned the opposite direction staring at the sky, but she could hear what they were saying about Ralph being nervous and Walter helping him through the whole thing.

"No." Ralph said flatly. Walter ruffled the boys hair to show him he was proud he was able to come to a conclusion with the calculations he had made

The employee just listed off all the rules to the ride and flipped the switch. The ride began moving slowly. Ralph grabbed Walter's hand once the ride began moving, clearly the possible scenario still frightened him and Paige picked up on the sudden reflex and rubbed the boys back a couple times.

"Here comes the hill" Paige screamed.

Walter laughed at how she was trying to hide how scared she was. Ralph released Walter's hand just before they reached the top, he threw his arms in the air and screamed with joy. Then came another big hill and they raced through some bumpy areas for about twenty more seconds. They all exited the ride and Walter checked his watch to see what time it was, "hey, are you guys hungry at all?"

"Can I have a pretzel please?" Ralph asked.

"Sure, we can eat and then go on more rides until the firework show." Walter concluded.

They all walked up to the food area, Paige ordered a hot dog and Walter and Ralph got salted pretzels. It took them about 5 minutes to eat their little snacks and then they grabbed a map of the rides. They went on almost every roller coaster and time flew by.

"The firework show starts in 25 minutes let's go get some food and find a spot to sit." Walter suggested.

"Alright, I'll go find a spot to sit and you two can get the food, I'll have some nachos please." Paige said.

Walter nodded in agreement. Both Walter and Ralph walked to the food area and ordered what will substitute for dinner. The food was already done so once Walter paid they got their food immediately. He handed Ralph his chili, cheese fries and chili dog as they walked towards Paige. She had found the perfect spot on the grass, that would give them a perfect view of the fireworks. "Nice choice." Walter said as he sat down and handed her the trey of nachos.

"Thanks, this is where Ralph and I sat the last time we came. He choose it and we could see the fireworks perfectly." She chuckled, "now that I know he's a genius I assume he choose it because of it's alignment."

"More than likely, yes." Walter laughed lightly. "Do you guys want anything to drink?"

"We'll have a water, please." Paige said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll be right back then." Walter said as he sat down his food on the blanket and walked to get them all water bottles from the other food cart.

Ralph sat down on the blanket, where he would be perfectly between Walter and Paige.

"Mom, do you like Walter?" Ralph asked, figuring it was the perfect time Walter was gone for a couple minutes.

"Of course, I like Walter. Why wouldn't I?" Paige asked, scared as to where this conversation was going.

"I mean as more than friends, on the way here you were holding hands, and you both are taking me to an amusement park, kind of like you _both_ were my parents."Ralph responded.

Paige was trying to hold back her tears, not wanting any trace of the conversation when Walter returned. "Oh, um, y-yes, I do like Walter as more than friends, and Ralph, do you want Walter to be your dad?" Paige asked, craving to know if what she wanted would have a negative affect on Ralph.

"Yes, he pretty much already is. Always buying me things, hanging out with me, creating encryptions for me to crack, and helping me through things, like earlier when I was getting second thoughts about the roller coaster ride and Walter helped me through the whole thing and held my hand to make sure I was okay." Ralph said, he was emoting so much she almost couldn't believe it.

Before Paige could respond, Walter started walking toward them. "Here you guys go." Walter said as he placed a water in each of their hands. He noticed Paige's eyes were a little reddened and puffy meaning she was more than likely crying or was about to. He sat down next to Ralph and snuck his hand behind him to rub little circles in Paige's back. He had noticed her doing it to Ralph when he was upset and nervous about the ride, so he figured that she would enjoy the contact.

Paige smiled and mouthed 'Thank you' to Walter.

'No problem.' He mouthed back, glancing towards Ralph to make sure he didn't see the interaction. "The fireworks are about to start." Walter directed toward Ralph.

"I've been counting the seconds, they will begin in 47 seconds and we have been sitting here for 6 minutes." Ralph responded.

Walter smiled, "yup, you're calculations are perfect."

They sat in silence for about ten more seconds, finally the fireworks started to light the sky, with all sorts of colors and shapes and loud booms.

"Woah, look at that one." Paige said, pointing towards the most recent firework thrown in the sky.

Ralph just watched in amazement, completely satisfied with the display.

Walter moved his hand from Paige's back to her hand, that she had just put behind her back as an indication she wanted it to be held. Water looked at Ralph and then at Paige, realizing that the most important a things in his life were right in front of him. Suddenly, there was many loud pops and extremely bright colors. He turned back to see the display realizing it was the finale and the fireworks would be over in a minute or so.

The fireworks ended, but they still sat there so they could finish their dinners. Ralph started to yawn, "I'm getting a little tired." He pushed his empty tray to the bottom unused corner. He then returned to his spot and leaned his head on Walter's arm.

"Maybe, we should get heading back. I Don't know if we can have fun while so exhausted ." Walter said with a chuckle.

"Good idea, let's clean up this stuff and head to the car." Paige added, smiling to be sure Walter knew she wasn't disappointed.

Walter took the blanket he was using off of him and folded it up to create a pillow, he put it under Ralph's head and covered the boy with the extra blanket from the bag. He stood up and grabbed all the garbage and walked it to the trash can. When he got back he saw Paige putting their uneaten snacks back in the bag, along with their water bottles. He realized she needed to fold up the blanket that was laying on the ground. He went over to Ralph and picked him up as if he was a baby, making sure the blanket on his body was still cocooned around him. Paige grabbed the makeshift pillow and threw it in the bag, then she folded up the blanket sprawled across the grass and shoved it in the bag as well.

"Ready to go?" Paige asked, slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder.

"Yup," Walter responded. He would have held Paige's hand, but he was holding Ralph. Paige unlocked the car and opened the back door, so Ralph could be placed in the car. She quickly got out of the way, rounded the car, climbed in the passenger seat and placed the duffel bag on the floor in front of her.

Walter placed Ralph on the seat slowly, buckled him up and covered him with the blanket, before closing the door. He climbed in the drivers seat, Paige handed him the keys and he started the car, turning down the radio as soon as it blasted through the speakers. They exited the park and sat in silence for about five minutes.

"He, as anticipated, had a great time. Thank you so much Walter." Paige thanked him again. She never thought when she got the job, she would fall in love, Ralph would have a father figure and that the person responsible for it all was going to be Walter O'Brien.

"Your Welcome, those rides were really fun and I think he enjoyed the firework display, based on the fact that his eyes were huge." Walter replayed the event in his head, as he moved his hand towards Paige. Paige reciprocated quickly and leaned across the arm rest so her head was resting on Walter's shoulder. He kissed her forehead and turned his attention back to the road.

"I love you, Walter." Paige whispered as her eyes began opening and closing slower and slower by the second.

Walter gulped, "I.. Uh.. I-I love you, too." He finally admitted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It's been about a week since Paige, Walter and Ralph went to Six Flags. The team hasn't arrived at the garage yet, because it was only six in the morning. Walter had just woken up and was lying in bed, coming to the conclusion that he needed to get up and shower before the team arrived at the garage. So, without another thought he jumped up, made his bed- he never really liked it messy because the team would often hang out in the area next to his bedroom- and headed for the bathroom.

It was now around seven a.m., Walter was sitting at his desk looking at the computer monitor tinkering with an encryption, while Toby, Sylvester and Happy we're working on their own projects, the door slammed open and Ralph and Paige entered the building.

"Good morning, guys" Paige smiled. Receiving a smile back from Walter, which didn't go unnoticed from the rest of the team.

"Good morning" Walter replied, jumping from his seat. He walked quickly to the coffee machine and grabbed two mugs, for Paige and himself. "Hey, Ralph?" Walter called.

"Yeah?" Ralph asked with a confused expression on his face.

"Would you like some orange juice or water?"

"Yes, please. Orange juice."

Walter quickly poured the cinnamon coffee in the mugs and headed towards the fridge to get the Orange juice and then the cupboard to get a small glass cup. Once he filled the glass and put the Orange juice in the fridge, he grabbed Paige and Ralph's beverages and when he turned around he realized they were sitting at the table. He handed each of them their drinks and started to walk out of the kitchen area.

"Can you sit with us?" Ralph piped in.

Walter turned around and smiled. He nodded, "sure, buddy." He sat down at the table and there was an awkward silence.

Paige checked her watch, "Okay Ralph, we gotta go. Or else you're going to be late." She stood up from the table. Walter followed.

"Why don't I drive, I would be able to spend an extra twenty minutes with Ralph and Cabe usually doesn't arrive with a case until 8:30." Walter clarified.

"Okay," Paige smiled, grabbed her purse and handed her keys to Walter.

Walter walked back to the kitchen area, "alright, buddy are you ready to go?"

"Yup," Ralph jumped off the chair and followed Walter and his mother out the door to the garage.

The entire ride was silent, except for a hint of sound from the radio speakers.

Once they arrived at Ralph's school, they all got out of the car.

Walter ruffled the boys hair, "have a tolerable time at school."

Paige chuckled and shook her head, "the bell is about to ring, bye sweetie." She kissed his forehead.

"Bye mom, bye Walter." He said as he started walking towards the school building. Walter smiled at him indicating a goodbye.

It was already nine o'clock and they were waiting for a case, but Cabe hadn't even made an appearance in the building. Usually he came by and stood around until a case came along. Walter was growing suspicious as to where Cabe was and why they didn't have _any_ cases.

"I wonder where Cabe is." Paige walked toward him.

"I was thinking the same thing, he's probably just at HQ." Walter scratched the side of his face, "I'm not sure why he didn't at least call, considering it's getting so late."

"I'm gonna call him, maybe he's not at HQ, he could have gotten in a car accident or something." Paige pulled out her phone and went to the contact list titled favorites which consisted of the team and Ralph's babysitter. The phone rang endlessly, the other end wasn't picking up, so eventually she gave up. "He's not answering."

"I'll give him another two hours, if he doesn't call back or show up we will look for him. But, in case something is wrong I'm going to track his phone and see where the last ping was." Walter turned back to his computer screen and started typing, within a minute he had a location on Cabe, "The last ping was near his apartment, so he probably just slept in or is sick and took the day off."

"Alright, but in two hours, like you said, we should check again and if he still hasn't called back we're going to go to his apartment. In the meantime, I'm going to make myself some breakfast, would you like something as well?" Paige asked.

"That's okay, I'll just get myself breakfast. It's only cereal." Walter chuckled.

Paige smiled back and headed towards the kitchen area. After she disappeared into the space, Walter got up from his chair and headed in her direction. He grabbed a bowl and spoon and then the cereal and milk. He sat it all on the table and began to pour the contents into the bowl, once he was finished he put the milk and cereal back into their original places and sat down at the small table. Paige had been frying herself an egg, and watching Walter, as he barely noticed her while he was busy doing his task. Realizing her egg was slightly burned she turned off the stove and shoveled the egg onto a plate. She then sat across from Walter and they each ate their meals in a comfortable silence. Once, they were finished they got up and set their dishes in the sink. Walter returned to his computer, and checked to see if Cabe's phone pinged anywhere else while they were eating, it was now located by HQ.

Paige sat at her desk finishing paperwork up from their most recent cases. Cabe's location was still stuck in her mind, she couldn't help feel that something was wrong. She really hoped that her assumption was wrong. Walter's phone being ringing from across the garage.

Walter reached for his phone, it was Cabe. Paige speed walked towards Walter wanting to hear the phone conversation. "Hello?" Walter called, no response. "Hello?" Suddenly, he heard Director Merrick in the background, screaming about not telling Scorpion about the case. "Cabe, are you there?" Walter was basically pleading for a response.

"Yeah, I'm here. I.. Um... I just wanted to call and let you guys know there are no cases. Uh.. You guys have the day off."

Walter wasn't buying what he was saying, "if there is no work, then why are you at headquarters. It's inefficient, just a waste of time and gas."

"I had to come pick up some files to fill out." He said, almost to quickly.

"Okay. Just call or come by the garage if we do get any cases." Paige was giving Walter an unsatisfied look.

"Bye." With that the agent hung up the phone.

"That was a little suspicious to me, how about you?" Paige was concerned, not only about Cabe, but about how serious the case was that he couldn't even tell the team.

"Very. I'll hack into his phone speakers, hopefully I am able pick up on some of their conversation. If it's really top secret, they usually wouldn't have their phones on hand." Walter started typing furiously, after nearly two minute he was able to hear what was being said, within the room.

"Maybe, we should turn the volume down a little bit, it could be involving someone we know and we don't want someone walking through the door and hearing something they weren't supposed to." Paige's suggestion was correct. Someone could easily walk into the garage considering it was a business day and it was within business hours.

The rest of the team stopped their little tasks and started listening in on the conversation themselves. "You can't go public with this, whatever these people want is irrelevant, my team will be able to outsmart them, and take control of the situation. They've worked dozens of cases. What's so secretive about this case, if you're going to address it to the media?" Cabe was definitely not pleased with Director Merrick.

"Unless you want to be out of a job, I suggest you let us handle this and stop bringing that group of misfits into every situation homeland gets."

"Scorpion has solved more cases and saved more people than you ever could. If you want control of this situation, _I_ suggest you include them in this case. There is no other Intel working, Scorpion can do this." Cabe had a lot of faith in the team, even when they weren't around, or assumed to not be around to hear it.

"Whatever this case is about, they really don't want us involved." Paige was confused why they worked for the government if they didn't work cases. It was their job.

"Fine, tell your team. Only give them limited information. They can be involved, but it's very dangerous. I can't guarantee they will survive." The director finally caved.

"My team deals with high stress cases daily, they'll be fine. I'm going to head to the garage, it will be easier and safer to tell them about this case in person."

Walter turned off the audio, "whatever this case is, must be worse than usual. We deal with deadly situations daily, as Cabe said."

"Well, we'll find out soon. We should all get back to our own projects. Headquarters is only twenty-minutes away, he'll be here soon." Paige piped in.

Toby, Happy and Sylvester went back to doing their little tasks immediately. Walter stood up about to head to his rocket when Paige stopped him. She cupped his cheeks in her hands, "Look, this case seems very dangerous. Well, more than usual at least. If anything bad happens to me,"

Walter's face fell, "nothing is going to happen to you."

" _If_ something bad happens, I need you to keep Ralph safe. You've always been like a father to him, if one day you don't have the actual chance to partner with me, I just want you to know that Ralph loves you, and I know that if I died he'd end up being okay if he had you." Tears were on the verge of falling from her eyes.

"Hey, nothing is going to happen to you and Ralph is going to be okay. Paige, you're a great mom. Ralph loves _you,_ he needs you a lot more than he needs us." Walter was a little curious as to where this conversation came from.

"Okay." Paige put her head on Walter's shoulder, drying her tears on the shoulder of his shirt. "I love you, Walter." She whispered.

"I... L-love you, too" he kissed the top of her head and held on to her.

The door sprung open, and Cabe came in instantly leaving no time for Walter and Paige to separate. Cabe stopped dead in his tracks at the image, they moved apart quickly. He gave them a huge smile, "we have a case, I need you all to grab your things and load in my car and Paige you can take yours. There's as serious case and I decided it would be best to gather you guys and tell you at HQ for privacy."

"I'll go with Paige, if this involves an enemy group they might figure out that we are working on the case and if Paige is by herself they could target her." What Walter said was true, but he really just wanted to be with Paige.

Everyone loaded up in Cabe's truck except for Walter and Paige who got inside Paige's Impala. Walter got behind the wheel, and with his free hand, he held Paige's. "If this case is as dangerous as it sounds, no near death experiences if you can help it, I don't want to lose you. Not to mention that Ralph would probably cocoon himself in thoughts and wouldn't be able to process his feelings anymore. He worships you, Walter." A tear shed from Paige's eye.

He wasn't sure why she was so worried about everyone dying on this case, mainly because she was upsetting herself. Walter glanced at her, noticing she was crying he squeezed her hand, "don't worry, honey. I'm not going anywhere." Walter pulled her hand to his lips.

"Okay." She wiped away her tears, and put on a brave face. There was silence for the remainder of the ride. The team was already at headquarters because they were in front of them. They realized Walter and Paige holding hands and Toby realized Paige's eyes were a little puffy, probably from crying. While Walter was parking he rubbed his thumb along Paige's hand.

"Alright, let's go." He slowly released Paige's hand and unbuckled his seat belt.

They got out of the car and slammed the doors shut. Considering they didn't care if the team knew about them, their hands found each other's again as they walked up to the team.

"What's going on here?" Toby was curious as to why they were being so touchy feely.

"What do you mean?" Paige wasn't the best at playing dumb, but she didn't really want to point out the obvious, considering it was so clear they were together. Toby and Happy saw them sleeping together, so there's no reason why Toby should be so concerned.

"Nothing, it's just that I've never seen Walter show any form of PDA. It's just interesting to see him evolving."

Walter was definitely uncomfortable with the conversation, "alright let's hurry up, this case isn't going to solve itself."

Without another word the team entered headquarters and went into a meeting style type room. "Alright, um this case is potentially deadly, which is why Merrick didn't want you guys in on it. But, I know you guys can do this successfully. Today at 10:40 am, a building was bombed and it destroyed not only the building but, it killed about 100 people. We need you guys to find the perpetrator, which sounds somewhat easy. But, we think there are other buildings that are going to be bombed. So, we need to try to find this guy before he bombs another building."

"What kind of building did he bomb, maybe there is a certain reason he bombed the location, and if there is, it could help us find him." Walter was eager to know, ever since Baghdad he hated dealing with bombings, because it brought the haunting memory back.

"It was a school building. Thankfully, no students were there because people were voting. But, there were still a lot of people there."

Paige put a hand over her mouth, "what if they are targeting schools, Ralph could be in danger." She struggled to fight back tears, not only for the thought of Ralph being killed, but the fact that hundreds of children could have died.

Walter moved to her side and drew circles in her back, "don't worry Ralph will be fine, if it really worries you we can go and pull Ralph out of school and have an agent watch him, or he could go to his babysitter. But, I would rather have him protected by an agent in case the target is government officials and buildings, which could be why they bombed a school filled with voters."

"Okay, but I want him inside this building and the agent must never leave his side."

"Alright, guys we'll be right back. Sylvester, go through the schools video feed and see if you can find anything. Happy, try to figure out what kind of bomb might have been used, and Toby, find any nearby buildings that have camera systems and see if they picked up anything from when the bomb exploded.

Walter and Paige walked quickly out of the building, and jumped in the car. "Don't worry Ralph is safe and he will continue to be. If it is because of the government, then they will look for buildings that are closed for voting."

"Yes, but he might just be trying to kill innocents and the voters could have been a trial and error mission."

"Which means they did it to test effectiveness, how much of the building, if not all, would blow up." Walter started going a little faster. Soon enough, they arrived at Ralph's school. Walter and Paige jumped out of the car and ran to the school building. Once inside they told the ladies in the office that they were picking up their son. They called down to the classroom and Paige signed him out.

After about five minutes Ralph entered the office, smiling at Paige and Walter. "Hi, buddy." He ruffled the boy's hair.

"Hi." He then turned to his mom, "hi mom."

"Hi sweetie, okay let's go."

They walked back to the car a little slowly. "You're going to stay at Homeland headquarters, while your mother and I, along with the team are working on a case. There will be an agent watching you. So, don't worry, you're not in trouble."

"Why can't my babysitter just pick me up after school, like every other time the cases take a long amount of time?"

"Uh, because we're not sure of what the target is for this case, it's safer for you to stay at Homeland." Walter sighed, "I know it can get quite boring sitting around office spaces until we solve the case, so once your done with your homework, try to solve this riddle, What kind of punch does a jelly fish like?"

"Okay. Thanks Walter." He was very happy that he now has a task to look forward to after he completed his homework.

All was quiet, then a loud bomb rattled through the car, there was another explosion close by, in the opposite direction. Walter stepped on the gas and sped off towards HQ. Ralph needed to be safe.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Once the trio arrived at HQ, Walter picked up Ralph and carried him into to building, because he wouldn't be able to keep up with him and Paige. They made their way to the same office space they were previously in.

"Cabe, did you find an agent that could watch Ralph?" Walter knew that him and Paige wouldn't be able to do anything if Ralph was in their presence because the bombing could frighten a young genius, and encourage him to sneak out and try to help them on the case.

"Yeah, he just needed to finish filing something and will be up here in a couple minutes."

Walter returned Ralph to the ground, "okay, we'll just wait for the agent to come, before starting the case."

Walter motioned Cabe to come to the corner of the room before whispering, "on our way back there was another bombing, I couldn't tell where it was coming from. But, it wasn't too far off in the distance. If you could go find out where the bombing was, that would be great."

"On it." With that Cabe walked out of the room and towards to exit.

"Walter," Ralph's eyes looked concerned.

"Yeah, buddy."

"Was there an explosion behind us, when we were coming back?"

Walter didn't want to lie, but he knew that if he told him there was a bombing he would grow skeptical. He also knew that if he didn't tell the truth, Ralph could find out later and question his reasoning for not telling him. "Uh, yeah, there was."

"Why didn't you go help the people behind us?" Ralph was confused as to why he wouldn't help those people, considering that's what he did everyday, save people.

"That's actually what the case is about. That's why we brought you to Homeland, so you would be safe."

"Oh, okay."

"And Ralph, I know you may want to help at points of the case, but I really need you to withhold instincts. This is very dangerous and if you put your life in danger, we might not be able to save you."

"Okay, But how will I know if you and my mom are okay, I don't have anything to watch." Ralph knew that the bombings would be all over the news, so if he could watch them he knew that he wouldn't be as worried about his mom and Walter.

"Here." Walter went to his brief case and took out a small tablet, "here's one of my extra tablets, you should be able to watch TV on this. You can have it."

"Thank you!" Ralph enveloped Walter in a tight hug.

He ruffled the boys hair, "no problem, I've got quite a few, just in case I need them."

An agent walked into the room, "I was told by Agent Gallo, to come watch a little boy named Ralph."

Paige, Walter and Ralph approached the agent, "uh, yes. We are working a pretty bad case and I want you to keep an eye on my son until we return." Paige figured they needed to start the case as soon as possible, so having small talk wouldn't be beneficial.

"He's special, a young genius, so he gets curious and will find loopholes, don't yell at him it won't affect him. I gave him a few things to keep occupied, so I trust he will behave." Walter really wanted to keep Ralph safe to make sure that Paige didn't contemplate leaving again. "Oh and Ralph, the tablet is brand new, so it's not set up yet. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to figure it out though."

"Okay, let's get going on this case. I'll see you in a little while, sweetie." She leaned down and kissed his forehead

"Bye, mom. Bye, Walter."

"Bye, buddy." He ruffled the boy's hair again.

Ralph and the agent left the room, "you gave him a tablet? Where did you get it from?" Paige didn't really mind the gift, but it was a pretty expensive one.

"It's one of my extras, he wanted to make sure we were okay on the case, so I gave him the tablet so he would always be able to know we're safe."

"Okay," she gave him a small grin, showing her approval.

Paige had been standing in the corner of the room waiting for someone to call with information, while Walter accompanied Sylvester in going through footage.

"Hey, did you find anything?"

"Maybe, I still have to see footage from later that day, but I seen a guy walking around the building and he looked a little suspicious and had to relocate a small device multiple times. It would have been footage from around 6 PM, last night. School wasn't in session, so people are allowed to wonder the grounds."

"Well, if that was the guy, then Paige might be right. If he's acting really suspicious, and not able to pin-point an exact location on the first try, he was probably just looking to test out how effective the bomb would be. Which would explain why he kept relocating it, maybe he found a gas line pipe behind a bush and put the bomb there to cause a bigger explosion."

"When Toby gets back you might want to have him watch that part of the footage. He might be able to read his body language and tell if he was on a job or if he is our suspect." Paige really didn't like the idea of schools getting blown up, she didn't refally like the idea of anything getting blown up.

"Meanwhile, me and Paige will go survey the school that exploded earlier today. Sly there was another explosion near Ralph's school, I want you to see if you could find anything suspicious there, and it more than likely is connected to the other bombing. So see if the people look similar,I'm not sure of the exact location, but I'm sure you'll be able to find it." Walter grabbed Paige's car keys.

"Alright, if I find anything I'll call you. Once you get there, it would probably be a good idea to update Toby and Happy on the situation."

"Okay." With that Walter walked out of the room with Paige in tow.

Once they arrived at the site, they saw Happy and Toby across the street questioning people coming out of the other building. "Okay, we need to be careful, because if your right and they are targeting anybody associated with the government then they could try to drop a grenade here to take out everyone here. I need you to stay by me, incase that were to happen."

"Okay, what should we be looking for, in order go find evidence?" Paige was trying to hide her fear, by redirecting her attention to the case like usual, but for some reason it wasn't working this time.

"Maybe particles that could be from the bomb, they won't have any finger prints because of the fire, but it could be a rare type of bomb and it could give us information as to where it is from."

"Okay."

They cautiously made their way over to the scene, and examined the ground surrounding the building. They circled the building and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I don't get how there is absolutely nothing suspicious around the building, I would have figured there would be something." Walter pondered through all the possible things that could have been lying around the perimeter of the building.

"We should go get Happy and Toby up to date with the case. And tell them about our luck."

"Yeah, then we can head back to HQ, hopefully Sly found something."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Walter and Paige piled into the small office room, "Did you find anything yet?"

Walter didn't want to waste time, plus he was eighty percent sure, he had found something.

"Yes, a man, Bill Ridenour, from facial wrinkles and seeing as his head is overrun by gray hair, I would assume he's in his sixties, maybe even late fifties. He has had trouble with the law in the past, but it wasn't as bad as this. He had possession of narcotics, enough to be considered a dealer. He was arrested and was sentenced to three years."

"When was he arrested?" Walter moved next to Sylvester, so he would be able to see the screen.

He punched in some keys, "roughly seven years ago. Also, he didn't have a bond. They couldn't prove if he was a dealer or not, so they just disposed of the narcotics and gave him jail time."

"If he was a dealer, he was probably minor. The jails are filled as is, they could just be covering up. They would usually allow someone to post bond if they couldn't prove he was guilty. If he is a dealer, this could be a revenge trip."

"But it's been seven years, why would you wait that long to get revenge." Paige finally piped in.

Walter pinched the bridge of his nose, "he's been planning this for a while, more than likely. Being in jail put a halt on his cash flow. He's been planning along with saving money to buy essential objects. He could be sending a warning out now, bombing government buildings, he might be trying to bomb the jail. There's a lot of people there and some have something to do with the government."

"Or he could be aiming for the court house, they are the ones who have the say so in whether or not someone goes to jail. And the courthouse is full or government officials." Paige was happy to help with the case however she could. The faster they solved the case, the faster she could return home to her son.

Sylvester looked at her in shock, and fright, "you may be right about that. But, bad news Toby and Happy are on their way to the court right now."

Both Walter and Paige's faces fell, "we need to get there fast. This Bill Ridenour will probably be nearby." Walter pulled the car keys out of his pocket and ran out the door, with Paige in tow... Again.

They pulled into the parking lot and saw Happy's truck. "They must be inside." Paige pondered plainly.

"Probably, If this place is going to be bombed, we have a while. The previous bombing was three hours apart on the dot. So, this more than likely isn't random. That gives us an hour to try and stop this bombing from happening."

Paige's face turned to horror, "what if we get all these people out and to safe place and they bomb that place."

Walter didn't know Paige was going to be so emotionally unstable during this case. She had been acting funny all day. She probably just has a gut feeling that this is going to end very bad. Walter's phone rang, draining him away from his thoughts. The screen displayed Cabe's name. "Hello?"

"Hey, I found where that bombing was. It was aimed towards the middle of the road. There was only one car in the area of the bombing."

Walter could hear Cabe sighing through the phone, "Did you find out who it was?"

"Yes, I waited to call until we got an ID on the victim, it was the judge who determined the outcome of his case."

"So, he is seeking revenge from the people who made his life a living hell." Paige muttered.

"Well, if the judge is dead then who else would he need to kill in order to get revenge?"

Walter questioned.

"He's probably looking to kill the officer. He's planned this well, he figured out the guys schedule and knows he's going to be at the court house today. He will more than likely be bombing the court or maybe going in with a gun to kill him up close."

"Well, Paige and I are at the courthouse right now. We're going to get Happy and Toby caught up, and then vacate the building."

"Sounds like a plan. Things over at the second bombing site are done, so I'm going to head back to HQ."

Paige grabbed Walters phone from his hand, "can you do me a favor, and check on Ralph. He's grown emotionally, but he's still uncomfortable with complete strangers."

"No problem. I'll call you guys once I see him."

"Thanks, Cabe." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Walter.

Walter took her hand in his, "look, if you don't feel comfortable going into the court house with me, you can stay in the car."

Paige squeezed his hand, "that's okay, I'll come in. I'm just worried about Ralph, that's all.

Paige hadn't been this worried about Ralph on a case... ever. "Okay, let's go."

They found Toby and Happy talking to an officer. "Alright sir, we're done questioning you." Toby then walked over to Walter and Paige with Happy trailing behind him.

"We need to evacuate the building, we'll explain outside." Paige dead panned. If there's anything she wanted more, it would be getting the hell out of a building that has the potential to be bombed.

"I'll go tell the guy at the front desk area, I'm guessing this building is getting bombed too?" Happy said, slowly backing up.

Paige nodded, following by Happy running to the desk.

Suddenly a fire alarm went off and officers were alerting people it wasn't a drill. Within ten minutes everyone was out of the courthouse.

"Did you guys find out who is bombing these building." Toby asked, as they were all standing next to Paige's car.

"Not necessarily," Paige muttered glancing towards Walter, who then picked up where she left off.

"We, uh, found out who the perpetrator is, but we didn't find him yet."

"So, we need to figure out where he is. Once we figure that out we can stop the bombings." Happy said.

Almost immediately Walter's phone rang, "Did you find a location?" He pressed the speaker button.

"Yes, I'm in the process of hacking the bomb. He choose a computer generated detonator, probably because it's less expensive and more reliable. I'm sending his location to your phone." Sylvester said, rushing through the sentences.

"Okay." He ended the call and him and Paige hopped in her car and Toby and Happy piled in Happy's truck.

Happy followed Walter to the park nearby that Bill was stationed at. It had wifi because there was a library next to it, which is probably why he choose it, free wifi and quiet.

...

Paige was so relieved that the case was over. They were right the guy was doing it for revenge and since he was older it didn't take much effort to chase him and Sylvester was able to disable the bomb.

Walter was packing up the equipment that they used at HQ.

"Hey, are you almost ready to go?" Paige asked as she powered her phone display off.

"Just finished actually." He grinned.

"Kay, let's go get Ralph then. I can't wait to see him, it's been such a stressful day." Paige said as she retrieved her purse from the chair.

"Hey, sweetie. Did you have a good time?" Paige asked once they arrived to the room.

"It was okay."

"Hey, did you enjoy the tablet?" Walter smiled as he ruffled the boys hair.

"Yeah, I'm a little hungry, what's for dinner mom?" He had a couple snacks, but it was only six thirty, so he didn't eat dinner yet.

"Umm, what do you feel like eating?"

"Chicken piccata." He beamed.

Walter and Paige glanced at each other and smiled, "okay." Paige and Walter said in unison. They both knew he probably wanted to eat it because it was the first real meal they've ever eaten together.

On the way back to the garage, they stopped at the grocery store to get ingredients for the chicken piccata.

Walter and Ralph worked on a few algorithms at the table, while Paige cooked dinner.

After about an hour and a half dinner was ready, "Ralph can you help Walter set the table?"

"Sure," he replied as both he and Walter stood from their seats and went to grab plates and utensils.

Once the table was set, Paige sat the bowls of food on the table.

"This is really good." Walter said after taking his first bite.

"Thank you. I add a few extra seasonings, I feel like it gives it a little flavor."

"Before you had Scorpion, you should have worked as the chef at the diner, instead of the waitress." Walter chuckled.

Paige grinned in response. As she looked in his eyes, somehow she knew that everything was going to be okay. No matter how bad a case was or the intensity of the risks they had to take, they had always ended up okay... Great, even. With Walter... And Scorpion in her life, she knew she would never have to worry about not being able to eat or ever losing a connection with Ralph. Scorpion was the half of her life that she had been waiting for, and now that she has it, she would never trade it for anything in the world.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey Guys, I know if you've been following this story from the start you are probably disappointed in how long I haven't updated. And I am truly sorry about that. Life got very hectic and crazy during the summer and the start of school and work did not make anything better. But now I'm taking online courses. So, I have tons of extra time to write and continue this story. So hopefully you didn't lose hope when I didn't write for the past several months, because I'm back. Hope you enjoy, love you! Now onto the chapter.

Chapter Six

It's Monday morning, back to work for the team and back to school for Ralph. The bombing case was definitely one of the many high-stress cases they've had. Ralph and Paige ended up going home after the whole thing to get some real rest and just relaxed the whole weekend. Walter did the same, with a few hours of work put in on his rocket. Sylvester was at his apartment, and Happy and Toby were hanging around the garage.

It was 7:30 AM, and Walter was drinking a cup of coffee and was going through files on his computer. Happy, Toby and Sylvester were already there doing their own thing. The main door swung opened and in poured Paige and Ralph.

Paige smiled, "Good morning, Guys"

"Morning," the team replied in unison.

Paige grabbed Ralph's backpack off his shoulders, "Okay, go have a quick breakfast. We have to go soon."

With that Ralph ran to the kitchen. Paige put some paperwork on her desk and then returned to the entryway, waiting for Ralph to finish breakfast. It would probably be faster and easier if Ralph were to just eat at home and go straight to school, but Paige thought it was motivating and healthy if he seen his favorite people before going to somewhere he dreaded. Paige can now afford to put him in a special program, but she knew that the school he's in now has a better care system and his friends parents are able to help Paige by picking Ralph up from school, or dropping him off sometimes. So, for now it was best that he just stay in the school that he's in now.

After about five minutes Ralph came running back, " I'm ready."

"Kay, lets go," Paige said returning his backpack.

A couple minutes after Paige left Cabe busted in the garage, "We've got a small case. It won't take long."

"Alright, I'll call Paige and let her know." Walter said as he was grabbing his laptop and stuffing it into his computer bag. They all hopped in Cabe's SUV.

The team and Paige arrived at the scene around the same time. Cabe got them up to speed on the ride over. Apparently, an agent's phone was hacked into and the hacker is more than capable of recovering private text messages, emails, and phone calls exchanged with Homeland. So, they need Scorpion to regain control of his cell phone and put extra firewalls and security to his cell phone and laptop in order to protect private and top secret information.

The team quickly got to work and completed the case in about an hour. Paige gave Walter a lift back to the garage. While Cabe took care of the rest of the cyclone.

It was now 9:00 AM, the geniuses continued their individual projects. Paige waltzed over to the coffee machine and got herself a cup of cinnamon coffee. Since she had all her paperwork done she decided to go up to the loft and read a magazine. After getting situated and flipping through the magazine for about 10 minutes, she heard Walter walking up the stairs.

He sat next to her, "hey."

She put down her magazine and directed her attention to Walter, "Hi, babe." She said as she leaned her head on Walter's shoulder. Apparently the weekend wasn't enough to recover her from her exhausted state.

He laid his head down so it was nuzzled against Paige's. "I missed you this weekend," he admitted. His emotional quotient has grown profusely since meeting Paige and Ralph. If he was put in this situation months ago, first of all he wouldn't, but second of all he wouldn't have admitted that he missed her company. There was just something about Paige that just soothed him, he felt comfortable. Almost like he could say or do anything and she would understand. Even though he never said it, he always thought about how amazing she was, he loved her before he even knew what love was. He partially blamed his father for not understanding him and not even trying to connect with him emotionally, maybe if he had emotional support as a child instead of being thought of as an outcast, he would have been more knowledgable about love. He always had a special bond with Megan but he never considered it love. But now, in this moment he was able to process 'love' decently. Enough that he knew deep down, he loved Paige and that he would do anything to protect her. She and Ralph were the two most important things in his life beside Megan of course.

Paige smiled, " I missed you too. But thankfully Ralph kept me company. He kept talking about how he was too tired to tell you 'what kind of punch does a jellyfish like', I offered my phone so he could call you, but he wanted to talk to you in person."

"Yeah, I was so exhausted I forgot to ask, he'll remember. I'll ask when he finishes school."

"Kay," was all she said before kissing his cheek and returning her head to his shoulder. All she could think about was how much he cared for her and Ralph. How much she loved him. The future they could have together. She always thought that after Drew there wouldn't be anyone for her, it was just going to be her and Ralph for the rest of her life. But, then Walter came along and her life changed forever. Words couldn't explain the love she has for Walter. She could try and put it into words but it would emphasize it enough, she loved him just as much as she loved Ralph. "Walter, I love you."

Walter stared down at her, looking at her was like looking at the sun, her beauty outdid the suns bright rays. "I love you too, more than you could imagine." It was the very first time he was able to say 'I love you' without stuttering.

She sat up and devoured Walter's lips, Walter responded deepening the kiss, however that was possible. Paige ran her hand up his arm and through his dark brown curly hair, which sent shivers down his spine. While Walter wrapped his arms around Paige's waist enveloping her in a tight hug. Walter laid down on the couch, bringing Paige with him. The kiss intensifying by the second. Paige straddled his lap, while stretching her arms around his neck, giving her more control. Just as Walter was reaching to remove her shirt Toby walked in the loft.

"WOAH, you're trying to get it on right in plain sight. My eyes, my eyes." He teased.

Paige got off Walter and they both fixed themselves, "what do you want Toby." Walter deadpanned.

"Jeez, Pants, I just came up here to see if there was anything good in this fridge."

"Well remind me to go grocery shopping for downstairs, so you don't interrupt us again." Paige joked.

"Is this a thing now?" Toby questioned.

Paige was taken aback by the question. Her and Walter hadn't really discussed it, it just happened. "uhhhhh" Paige was dumbfounded.

Walter piped in, "yes."

Paige's heart filled with joy and Toby had a shocked look on his face. He couldn't believe that Walter actually piped up and was the one to admit it. But, Toby was happy that Walter had finally found someone. Especially since everyone loved Paige, she was a part of the cyclone and now she is officially a part of Walter's family. Toby always shipped them, it's his thing. The only thing he was disappointed about was the fact that now making fun of them would be boring. Walter won't squirm anymore, Paige won't be embarrassed anymore. At least now he had extra time to spend with Happy. They weren't an item, but Toby wasn't letting her stubbornness get in the way of his end game. It almost seemed like everyone in the cyclone was getting into relationships except for Cabe and Ralph, but even Ralph likes a girl in his school.

This is kind of an awkward place to end it, but I have plans for the next chapter. I'm happy to be back and hopefully you guys enjoyed the chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

I hope you like this chapter, it's a little different. Basically just an end to the last chapter. I broke it up because I really wanted to upload yesterday. So, I finally continued it and yeah, just cooking dinner and stuff. But, next chapter we will more than likely get back on an interesting case. I just wanted a couple chapters after that big case so that there was a little break between the cases. Also, before I upload chapter 8 I would love to get out another one-shot so, maybe I'll have both chapter 8 and a one-shot out this weekend. Maybe sooner no guarantee. Anyway, hope you enjoy. BTW, i wanted to make it a whole food description, because it's Thanksgiving. So, it just went along with the theme and if you're just reading this at 3AM, and check the time. Yes, it is that late, lol.

 **Chapter Seven**

Paige had just gotten back from picking up Ralph, after her little make-out session with Walter.

"Hey buddy, sorry I forgot to ask yesterday. But, what kind of punch does a jellyfish like?" Walter finally questioned.

"A smack, because a group is called a smack, of jellyfish." Ralph answered.

Walter smiled, "yup."

"Okay, I'm going to make dinner. I don't know about you but over the weekend I didn't eat anything besides burgers and leftovers." Paige beamed.

Walter and Ralph nodded and then went up to the loft to play video games.

Paige's POV:

I decided to make a classic, just some spaghetti and meatballs. It was the only thing we had the ingredients to make anyway.

First, I started my sauce, because it would take a while to make and to cook. I let it cook on a low setting so that it's more flavorful. Then, I carry onto making the meatballs, I roll up a mixture of ground beef and turkey meat. Mainly because ground beef was pretty flavorless. By the time the meatballs were done the sauce was a little warmed up, I like making it this way so that the meatballs go into a warm sauce and will cook faster. Now, I just added the meatballs to the sauce and turn up the setting. Now was time to just boil the water and just cook the noodles. Then dinner is served.

Narrator POV:

"Guys," Paige called. "Dinner is ready. Come grab a plate." The whole cyclone including Cabe piled into the kitchen area, sat at the table and started loading up their plates.

It was very enjoyable, just the whole cyclone eating a good meal, spending time together and catching up on life. Sure, they were together majority of their time, but it was nice to hear life stories and how their day went. They spent over an hour just enjoying each other's company.

It was a little while after everyone was done eating and Cabe and Sylvester left. Paige was just washing the dishes and cleaning up everything. Walter came into the kitchen, "Thanks for dinner. It was really good."

Paige smiled, unbeknownst to Walter since she was facing the other way, "Oh yeah, no problem. Thanks."

She felt Walter walk a little closer, "So, when did you plan on leaving."

Paige finally finished the last dish and was drying off her hands, she turned around. "Um, I'm not sure. Probably soon since Ralph has school tomorrow."

Walters smile faded a little when she said soon. "Oh, okay"

Paige picked up on his mood change, "It's okay, I'll be back tomorrow, babe." she leaned in and gave him a quick, but passionate kiss on the lips. Once she pulled away she just gave him a hug and rested her head on his shoulder just enjoying the peaceful silence. Even though she didn't do much that day, it was still a bit tiring to make dinner and they did have a small case today. She finally pulled away. "Okay, I'm gonna go upstairs and get Ralph."

"Okay," he said simply. He clearly enjoyed the silence as well.

Paige found Ralph sleeping on the couch as per usual. "Ralph honey, It's time to go." she said while brushing his hair out of his face.

"I don't wanna go, I wanna stay here with Walter," he mumbled, still half asleep.

He never really complained about leaving before they left. Usually to Paige in the car or at home, but not in the garage. But even though he was being a little difficult she still found it adoring that Ralph had such a strong connection to Walter, "we have to go. You have school tomorrow."

"I don't like school, I would rather stay here with Walter." he said again, rolling over.

Little did they know that Walter was watching from a distance he was very amused because Ralph wouldn't leave and wanted to stay with him. But, he knew Paige was tired and just wanted to sleep so he decided to step in, to make things easier. He walked over to the pair, "here I got him." he said picking up Ralph.

Paige already gathered his things, so she just followed Walter down the stairs.

"Oh look its the Mr. and Mrs. along with their son," Toby whispered. Causing eye rolls from Paige and Walter. But, a little giggle from Ralph. "Hey, the kid agrees."

At this point, Paige and Walter just ignored it. There was nothing they could say or do that would stop him from making comments. But, it was a bit relieving that Ralph actually liked the idea of her and Walter being married one day. With that Walter would fall as the step dad, but he only flies to Portland to see Drew every so often. So, I'm sure he would look at Walter as his real dad, hell he thinks that of Walter now.

They finally got to the car and Ralph was all buckled in. Paige rolled down her window, "Thanks for carrying Ralph, bye Walter."

"bye" he said. Paige puckered her lips and stuck her head out the window a little bit. Walter grinned at her and leaned down and gave her a kiss. "okay, bye." he said a final time and with that Paige pulled away, down the now dark streets of L.A.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, so I took a review into effect. Sadly I couldn't directly respond but thats okay. I really liked the idea so I gave it a go, it may not be in this chapter, but it should be after the case. I'm really happy that I'm able to get a good amount of chapters out. I've been thinking about uploading. (No I'm not going to stop. That would be really shitty since I just got back to it.) I just wanted to say that I want to upload at least three times a week. I think it's do-able. Given that I love writing, I may upload more than that a week. But sometimes I get busy especially with class and the holidays. So, I didn't want to set it too high and make myself write until 5 am, because that's how it was during the summer and I started losing interest because it was more of a task than something I wanted to do. So I just wanted to let you guys know that I hope to update about three times a week. Hope you enjoy chapter 8!

Chapter Eight

It was about one in the morning, Walter's phone buzzed. Paige's name was spelled across the screen. "Hello, Paige. Is something wrong?" It was unusual for her to call at this hour of the night.

"Hi, and no nothing is wrong. I just wanted to call to say thank you again. I can't really sleep. When I got home I realized that Ralph had a fever. Maybe that's why he didn't want to leave earlier. I gave him some Tylenol and his temperature is down. I just wanted to let you know."

"Are you coming to work tomorrow?" He was going to ask if Ralph was okay, but Paige already told him his 411.

"I will be coming to work tomorrow. It seems like it's just a little virus and Drew is flying in from Maine since he doesn't have practice or a game, so he's going to take care of him. But, as long as he takes the Tylenol when he wakes up and about every six hours his fever should remain dormant, and just keeping him hydrated." She answered.

"Okay, well I'm going to finish up working on my rocket. I'll see you tomorrow at work, you should get your sleep. Since Ralph is sick, there's a high chance you could get sick too. So, getting a good amount of sleep will help keep your immune system strong."

Walter was always helpful. Paige giggled, "Okay, Walter. Bye."

"Bye," with that Walter hung up the phone.

He cleaned up his hands and took the stairs, two at a time to the loft. He couldn't help but think about Ralph and Paige after talking to her on the phone. Them staying at the garage wouldn't be that bad, actually it wouldn't be bad at all. Obviously he would have to ask Paige about it but, having an extra space for Ralph wouldn't be bad. Then he wouldn't have to sleep on the couch whenever he stayed here. Ralph never minded sleeping on the couch, but everybody needs a bed to stretch out. Sleeping all cramped can stunt your growth. He made his way to his bathroom, showered and around two in the morning went to sleep.

...

It was the following morning. Paige was mildly exhausted as per usual. Ralph woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. She gave him some more Tylenol and ice water. He told her that a couple kids in his class and lunch period were absent. His friend, Billy, was having similar symptoms to Ralph. So, Paige was right about the virus. Drew had the easy job throughout the day. As long as he gave Ralph medicine and kept him hydrated, everything would be okay.

Drew finally arrived at her apartment, she planned on leaving very soon, so it's good he came on time. "Okay, if there are any major issues let me know. He did throw up last night and he had a fever. So, just make sure you give him Tylenol, he'll remember what time he needs it." She said gathering her purse and keys.

Drew showed a small smile, "uh, okay. Bye."

Paige opened the door, "Bye."

About twenty minutes later Paige arrived at the garage. "Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning," Walter said walking up to her. "How's Ralph doing?"

"Uh, well, he was doing okay when I left. But, he woke up in the middle of the night throwing up with a fever of 102 degrees Fahrenheit. I gave him more Tylenol, but he said that Billy had similar symptoms. I'm convinced that it's just a virus."

"It probably is, don't worry about it. Drew, will...uh, take care of him."

Paige smiled, she knew he wasn't fond of Drew, but as long as he has some sort of respect for him Paige will be happy.

"Um, how are you doing, you yawned while you were walking in and when you called last night it was late. So you went to bed late and you had to wake up in the middle of the night."

"Yeah, I'm tired but I usually am. I mean, work at Scorpion and then Ralph, it's quite a busy life. But, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

Walter smiled at her, it seemed like the perfect time to tell her about the room for Ralph.

"Alright we got a case." Cabe's voice rattled through the garage. "There is a shooting at the bank."

Walter's eyebrows furrowed, "Can't the police handle it?"

"They tried to contain the situation, it started outside. They were called and only aggravated the gunman, caused him to go into the restaurant. He sent out a hostage she claimed that he was going to shoot them all if he didn't get what he wanted."

"What exactly does he want?" Paige questioned.

"That's one of the other major problems, he wants millions. They need us there ASAP."

"Alright lets go," Walter said.

Walter, Sylvester and Paige loaded in Cabe's SUV and Toby and Happy were in Happy's truck.

"Okay, Sylvester I need you to hack into the security cameras and try to find out what he's doing and how many people are in there. Also, try and find a name to the face. Background, any arrests."

"On it."

"Toby I need you to read him once Sylvester has an eye on him. Happy I need you to find a way that he can hear us, we need to make him think that we're giving him what he wants. We also need to weaken him, try to get him to give up the hostages, Paige I'll need you to do that since you're good with people."

"Okay, Walter I got an eye on him. He's making them sit wherever they were. Basically standing with his gun ready. I also ran his image, Domicio Bonilla... He has no background."

"Based on his body language, he seems scared. Almost like he's being forced to do this. Seems young maybe early twenties. Did you see that. That lady got up and more than likely asked to , all he did was tell her to sit back down not aggressive either. He almost seems guilty."

"Couldn't he be trained to do that, almost like he wants people to think that he's innocent in order to manipulate us into thinking he wont do anything." Paige just couldn't believe that someone that wanted that much money would take so long and just sit with hostages for a while. He kept looking around the bank. "I don't think he actually wants the money. Wouldn't he have already gotten it by now. He just keeps looking around."

All of the sudden he started shooting everyone in the building, screams of horror escaped the building, what the hell did this guy want.

I thought this was an interesting way to start, somewhat of a cliffhanger. Leave a review of what you think might happen and what the guys intentions may be. Hope you enjoyed this so far.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Previously on Worth the Risk, "Couldn't he be trained to do that, almost like he wants people to think that he's innocent in order to manipulate us into thinking he wont do anything." Paige just couldn't believe that someone that wanted that much money would take so long and just sit with hostages for a while. He kept looking around the bank. "I don't think he actually wants the money. Wouldn't he have already gotten it by now. He just keeps looking around." All of the sudden he started shooting everyone in the building, screams of horror escaped the building, what the hell did this guy want.

Now, Paige was terrified, there were children in that building. "Walter you need to do something, I know it seems hard but you have to save everyone. I told you that from the start."

"I know. Happy's almost got us audio. We'll be able to talk him down."

"Speaking of, it's up. Here talk into this and everyone in the bank should be able to hear you through the speakers located throughout the bank for alarms." Happy handed Walter a makeshift mic. "It also works as a speaker so you'll be able to hear what he's saying."

"Domicio, this is Walter O'Brien."

"Walter, Walter O'Brien. That name sounds familiar. I've heard that name somewhere."

Walter and the team exchanged a glance, Toby motioned him to go forward, he seemed stable. "Maybe, listen. What do you want out of this."

"I already told you, I want the money."

Toby watched him through the screen, "you're lying. You want revenge or something greater. This isn't about money."

He sighed, "I came here for the money. And to kill everyone here first. These people's families need to suffer like I did." He raised his gun and pointed it at a toddler.

"No, don't do that. Do you really want to do that, risk your freedom. Because you will have to end up leaving here and when you do there are police positioned around this entire building."

"How did you know I was about to..." He looked around the ceilings, "camera's. you're watching me, huh." He fired his gun at cameras surrounding him. "Not anymore."

"Uh, Walter we lost visual." Sylvester shouted from his laptop.

Walter put his hand over the speaker. "Try to reposition another camera to see if we can regain it." He lifted his hand to continue, "Okay, so now we can't see you. That's not going to do anything for you. Now tell me, what do you want!" He shouted, he was getting angry, all this person had to do was tell them what he wanted, and then they could put him in custody and leave. It wasn't difficult.

"I already told you", he shouted back. His gun fired again, this time a mothers voice kept saying no.

"Walter, you can't scream at him. It will only trigger him to do something." Paige said rubbing his back, "Now stop, think and re-evaluate. I get it you're stuck. But, if you lose control then more people are going to die."

"Walter, we've regained visual. It's not very well but it's enough to see him."

"Okay, just put the gun down. No-one else needs to get hurt. Do you hear me, just tell us what you want and this will all be over."

"Okay, Walter," he said mischievously. "let me admit, I know who you are. You killed my wife in Baghdad. When Homeland released the case files for the mission, I saw that you were the one who created the software that bombed the village. You killed my wife and you don't even care, you just agreed to creating the software. You're a murderer, and now I want to let everyone in this bank die, so that their families can feel the pain that I felt when my family died."

"If you do this, you're no better than me. You're a murderer as well. And I created that software when I was young, I had no intention of killing your wife or anyone in that village. I was told by Homeland that the software was needed to send care packages to families. I wouldn't have done it if I had known. You won't feel better about your wife if you kill these people. Their families aren't responsible for that bombing, I am."

"Someone needs to be punished, if I don't kill everyone people are going to be left unpunished."

Now he was just sounding repetitive, "You'll never be able to kill everyone. Why wouldn't you just kill me. Why do you have to kill all these people."

"You're right I should just kill you, come in hear alone. I'm in the back."

"Fine," he put a jacket over the mic and walked away.

"Walter, you can't do this. What about the team, what about Ralph, what about... me." Tears were threatening to fall down Paige's face. "Please Walter, don't go."

Toby walked up to them, "Paige is right, Walter. Who knows what this lunatic would do. It could be a trap then he'll try to kill everybody including you."

"I have an idea. He said come alone but he's all the way in the back. I'll put on a bullet proof vest under my shirt, the gun he has isn't very powerful. When I walk in I'll have a SWAT member come in with me. He'll be able to hide somewhere and then when if he fires at me the vest should serve as protection and the SWAT member is completely guarded, so he could just take him down."

Paige looked uneasy, "fine. But, Walter just remember if you don't come out of that building the team and Ralph, including me will be heartbroken. So, your plan better work."

"Uh, I don't know if I'd be 'heartbroken'." Toby blurted.

Walter ignored him, "I actually have something to tell you. But I have to go, I'll tell you back at the garage." With that he put on his vest and entered the building.

Paige couldn't help but wonder if Walter was going to come out of there alive, and what he had to tell her. Did he want to go back to being 'professional colleagues'? If he did, how would she handle that? What would work be like? All of these thoughts swirled through her mind, apparently it made her face look dissatisfied as well, because Toby was approaching her.

"Paige, I know you're beginning to believe that Walter is going to come out of there in a body bag."

Paige gave him a death stare.

"Hey, you're the one who's thinking it. Anyway, we both know that Walter would do anything for you and Ralph. This goes along with that theme. He'll do whatever it takes to stay alive because he's doing it for you and Ralph. His plan seems like it's going to work well, so just trust in Walter."

After Toby finished his spiel, Paige's look softened. Maybe Toby was right, maybe Walter was going to stay alive for her and Ralph. She collected herself and walked over to the computer to watch everyone through the camera.

Walter walked through the bank to the back, as the SWAT member found a hiding spot.

"Hello, Walter. Glad you showed up."

"Okay, well I'm here. So, what's your plan." Walter wanted to get this over with. He just wanted to take to Paige -he knew that Paige was going to agree- and get to work on the room.

"Well, I did say I was going to kill you. And I'm a man of my word." He shot Walter right in the chest.

The force of the bullet made him fall back and become a bit zoned out.

Paige watched through the computer, a tear slipping from her eye. "Walter, Walter. Wake up. Walter!" She knew that sometimes bullets went through vests.

The SWAT member blast through the door of the back room. "Put the gun down. Get on the ground."

He put his gun on the ground and slowly laid on his stomach, "okay, okay. I surrender."

A few cops piled through the door, " . You're under arrest, anything you do or say will be held against you in the court of law."

Paige ran through the bank doors and to Walter, she kneeled down next to him. "Walter, Walter. Wake up, please. For Ralph, for me."

Walter groaned and blinked, "I told you I'd be fine. I only state facts." he smiled.

She let out a breathy laugh, "I love you, Walter." She kissed his cheek.

He sat up slowly, "I love you, too."

They team slowly walked into the garage. "Uhh, I could use a good sleep." Toby said collapsing on the couch.

Everybody else made their way to their desks. Walter sat a couple things down on his desk and made his was over to Paige.

"Hey, um, so what I wanted to tell you earlier..." He paused.

Paige looked at him and smiled to urge him to move forward.

"Um, I was wondering. Since, a couple days ago, when I offered to let you stay the night and you couldn't let Ralph sleep on the couch." He realized what he was saying wasn't making sense and tried again. "What I'm trying to say is that I think it would be a good idea for me to make that little empty corner room in the loft, a little hang out for Ralph. I think he would like it and he can do his schoolwork in there. Also, when he spends the night here sometimes he can sleep in there instead of the couch. A couple days ago, you were exhausted and I didn't really feel comfortable with letting you drive home, let alone the fact that Ralph didn't want to leave. So, Ralph doesn't have to go home he could stay here."

Paige interrupted his rambling, "Walter, I think that would actually be a really good idea."

"Really?" He didn't think it was going so easy to convince her. "Um, okay. Well I don't think it will take very long. I mean he should have a space in the garage. He is also part of the cyclone."

"Yeah, I think he'll really like it." She grabbed her purse. "But, speaking of Ralph I just got a phone call from Drew. He's not really feeling better, worse even. So I'm going to go relieve Drew and send him back to his hotel. I can only imagine the night I'm going to have. He threw up a couple more times throughout the day. So, I'm gonna get back to him." She wrapped her arms around Walter and gave his a deep kiss, "Bye, I love you."

Walter put his arms around her waist and returned the kiss, "I love you, too. Tell Ralph I said um, hi and to get better soon."

She pulled away, "Okay, bye."

She started to open the door when Walter ran up to her and grabbed her arm, "wait, do you mind if I um, come with you. I haven't seen Ralph in awhile and I know you're exhausted maybe we can take turns taking care of him throughout the night."

Paige grinned, he sounded like a dad offering to take care of a newborn throughout the night, Walter was definitely the sweetest guy she had ever dated. "That would be amazing, thank you, Walter."

They both walked to her car, Paige threw him the keys. "Lets go babe."

What did you guys think? I really wanted to make this more action packed like a true Scorpion case, but I feel like I have the flu. But, I didn't want to leave you hanging and un-updated. So, I worked with what I was given. I like this sweet little ending and I plan on continuing from when they get to the apartment and just caring for him through the night. Or I can start next chapter with them coming to the garage and having his surprise. But, if I do write with the caring throughout the night, I may be able to get out two chapters within that day. Tell me what you guys think I should do. Also does anyone know if there are any viruses going around, lol. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Hey, quite a few people thought it would be a good idea if I did do the little through-out the night chapter. I am still sick but I'm feeling a bit better. Like I said I think I would be able to have two chapters out by the end of Saturday, so I decided that I wouldn't rush out two chapters tomorrow, rather I write this little cute one today and spend more time tomorrow really trying to plan out the whole surprise for Ralph, but yeah for those of you who did request that I do this cute little chapter, here you go. But, everyone, enjoy!

The duo finally arrived at the apartment, only in L.A. would there be some sort of traffic at ten at night. Paige and walked through the complex, she slipped the key in the door, "Hello, I'm home." Paige called.

Drew rushed into the living room, "hey, uh, Ralph finally fell asleep. He did however throw up a few times throughout the day."

Walter shut the door behind him as Paige responded, "Yeah, well, hopefully he feels better soon." She hung up her purse on the coat rack, "well, I'm here to relieve you for the night. So, you can head back to your hotel now."

"Right, um. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye."

He awkwardly waved goodbye as he passed Walter and Paige, and quietly shut the door on his way out.

"Okay, I'm going to go change. Can you watch Ralph while I get ready for bed?" She begged, giving him puppy dog eyes, even though she knew he would comply.

"Yeah, sure." He said smiling.

"Thanks," she walked down her small hallway to her bedroom and closed the door behind her, leaving just a crack.

Walter found his way into Ralph's room, stepping ever so slightly to avoid waking up the sleeping genius. He smoothed his hair gently and touched his forehead. His temperature seemed normal, and his water was almost gone. So, he was staying hydrated which is good because water helps average your body temperature.

The boys eyes slightly fluttered open, "hi, Walter." He said grabbing for his water.

Walter picked it up for him and placed it in his hand, "hi. Are you feeling any better?"

Ralph nodded, "after I threw up I started to feel a little bit better. But, I feel even better now that you and my mom are here." He beamed.

"That's good, oh and uh, by the way your mom is just changing into some more comfortable clothes before she comes in and checks on you." He said, taking the water cup and returning it back to his nightstand's smooth wooden surface.

"I'm a little hungry, I didn't eat dinner yet and the food I did have, got sent right back up." He said, slowly uncovering himself from his bundled state.

"I'll go ask your mom if she should make something. What do you feel like eating?"

"I could go for some chicken noodle soup, mom says it's a healing food."

Walter chuckled as he found his way to Paige's bedroom door, knocking on it ever so slightly. "Hey, Paige. Ralph wants to know if you can make him some chicken noodle soup. He is quite hungry because all he's been doing is throwing up everything was eating."

Paige opened the door, "Yeah, I can do that. I actually have all the ingredients to make a quick pot of soup."

Walter heard the words she was saying but couldn't really process anything. Paige's pajamas were quite loose, not to mention that the shorts were quite short. At least for him, he'd only seen Megan in skirts before she was ill, he also didn't pay attention to any girls wearing shorts, so he didn't know if this was the usual length. All he knew was that he could see quite a bit of skin. He had this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, he sometimes did around Paige, but this time it was a bit more intense. "Uh, uh, umm." He gathered himself, "Okay, I'll go tell him." He turned around and walked back into Ralph's room.

Paige laughed to herself, he paused for quite a few seconds. But, she knew exactly why he paused. She was happy her plan was in the midst of working. After a few seconds she made her way to Ralph's room. "Hi sweetie, did Drew take care of you good today?"

"Yeah, can you make the soup soon? I'm really hungry." He said.

Paige was pretty sure everyone in the room could hear his stomach growling. "That's good, and yes, I'll go and make it right now. It will be ready in about half an hour, so do you want me to get you some Saltine crackers while you wait. They will help your body digest the food better."

"Yeah, thanks mom." He said starting to lay on his side.

She smiled and was off to the kitchen to make her baby boy some food.

"Here, I'll go get you a re-fill on your water. I'll be right back." Walter said collecting the cup and walking out of the bedroom. He walked to the ice and water dispenser on the fridge, and filled up the cup until it was almost exactly a centimeter away from the top of the glass.

"Hey, Walter before you bring that to Ralph can you hand me a soup spoon from the drawer?" She said as she started putting together the ingredients for the broth.

"Uh, sure." He had been to her house before and she opened a drawer that had a bunch of spoons laid down, so he figured that was the drawer it was in. Lucky guess, he handed it over to Paige, "here." He said placing it on the counter and walking back to Ralph's room.

Walter and Ralph just conversed about science and math and algorithms while they waited for the soup to be served. Walter wanted to go into the kitchen and help Paige but he knew that Ralph would enjoy his company and he enjoyed Ralph's too.

Paige just finished scooping some soup into three bowls and getting another sleeve of saltine crackers so that if Walter or her wanted to put some in their soup they could. They could use the one that Ralph already has in his room, but Paige didn't want to leave him food-less throughout the night and she also didn't want to eat something that he was touching a lot because she didn't want to get sick. "Here we go." Paige said walking into Ralph's room with a bowl of soup for the sick little boy. "You can eat in here, but just try not to spill it." She said placing the bowl into his hands. "Do you want crackers in it?"

"Um, yes please." Paige grabbed four crackers from the sleeve and broke them up into pieces and sprinkling the pieces into the bowl.

"Alright well, me and Walter are going to go and eat. I know you guys have been talking for a while. You can watch some TV on your tablet that Walter got you a couple weeks ago if you want. I can set it up so you don't have to hold it." Paige offered. Leaving him to eat alone wasn't exactly ideal but there wasn't enough room for them to all have dinner in his room.

"Okay, you can turn on the Discovery Channel. Walter hooked it up to our cable receiver so it'a basically a portable TV."

"Okay, cool." She quickly turned on the tablet and got it all situated. "Okay, I'll be back in your room to check on you after I finish eating. But, if you need me just call." She gave him a kiss on the forehead. She walked out of the room with Walter in tow.

She already had the bowls of soup laid out on the table. They sat down and began eating, Walter took a bite, "Wow, I haven't a real meal in a while, this is really good." He took another spoonful.

Paige giggled, "Thank you." She also took another spoonful of soup.

They continued on some chatter in between eating. But, not much because they wanted to get back to Ralph. Once they were finished Paige cleaned up there dishes as Walter went to go check on Ralph.

"Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?" He said sitting down on the desk chair he was sitting on previously.

Ralph paused his show. "I'm feeling essentially the same as I was when you guys left. So, I think that's good. But, I think I'm going to try to fall asleep because I'm really tired now, since I had a late dinner and it's nearing eleven-thirty. Not to mention the fact that I've been throwing up all day. So, I'm quite exhausted."

"Yeah, okay. I'll go bring your bowl to the sink and your mom and I will be back in here in a minute." He grabbed the bowl. He entered the kitchen to find Paige emptying the contents of the pot into a Tupperware bowl. He set the cup down in the sink, "Ralph said he's really tired. So, we should probably go and say goodnight, because I told him that me and you would be in there in a minute."

Just as he finished Paige was putting the bowl in the fridge, "Really, usually he's dying to stay up later. But, he is sick so I get that he is exhausted."

Paige made her way over to Ralph, "How are you feeling?" She said feeling his forehead and running a hand through his hair.

"I'm feeling good. Just tired." He yawned mid-sentence.

"Alright, well I'll let you get some sleep. If you need anything just call me or Walter."

Ralph gave a confused face, he knew that his mom and Walter were dating, but he didn't know that Walter was spending the night. But, that didn't mean that he was unhappy. His confused expression turned into a smile. "Oh, I didn't know Walter was staying the night, but that's good. Goodnight, mom."

She kissed his forehead, "Goodnight, sweetie." She leaned on the door frame so that she could watch Walter say his goodnights.

"Hey buddy. I hope that you stay well overnight. Goodnight." He mimicked Paige and kissed his forehead.

Ralph smiled, he couldn't help but think about how cool it would be if Walter was his dad. Walter wouldn't have walked out on him and his mom. Walter would be able to connect with him. Walter would also be able to keep his mom happy. Drew was always upsetting her, but even though Drew upsets his mom and walked out of their life while he was young, Ralph still had a form of respect for him considering he was his dad. But, he still wished it was Walter. "Thanks Walter, Goodnight." He said giving the mentor genius a tight squeeze.

Paige was beaming with joy. It was the best thing she's ever witnessed, the way they just connected, clicked. Ralph has clicked with Walter ever since the day he met him, in the diner when all those planes would have crashed down. Walter made him feel special, playing chess with him when he didn't even know him. Then, Paige thought that Walter was some creep who was going to abduct Ralph or something, but that night Walter was this door that had finally opened. He was exactly what she needed in her life and he gave her the best opportunities, which made even better opportunities for Ralph. She would still be working at the diner if it wasn't for him, still struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Now she was thriving. Money was no longer an issue and she had the life she always dreamed of. Paige realized that Walter was beginning to get up, she came back to reality, "See you in the morning, goodnight." She said closing the door.

"Walter, I actually think I have some of your clothes here. When you were in the hospital, I kept a set of comfortable clothing here in case you ever came over. But, you were in the rehab center for nearly all of your recovery. Here follow me." She leaded him to her bedroom and opened one of her top drawers on her dresser. It was right where she thought it was. "Yup, here you go."

Walter grabbed the clothes out of her hand and offered her a smile before migrating himself to the ensuite. Paige really wanted to take it a step further, but she was probably just as exhausted as Ralph from the case earlier. Not to mention, Ralph was in the next room over. She dismissed the thought from her head, even though she was slightly disappointing herself. She made her way to the right side of the bed and slowly tucked herself in. Walter emerged from the bathroom and put his clothes for the day on the ground.

He walked around and climbed onto the opposite side of the bed. Once he was laid down and comfortable, Paige scooted over and laid her head on Walter's chest. Listening intently on his heartbeat, which surprisingly didn't pick up rapidly. "Goodnight Walter, I love you." She whispered.

Walter looked down at her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "I love you, too."

And with that they both began to drift into a long well-needed sleep.

Well then, Hope you enjoyed that. This was actually not going to be how it played out at all. But, it just kind of wrote itself and it is also way longer than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be about 1,000 words or so. But, it ended up being I think over 2,000. So yeah. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though, like Paige, I really wanted Paige to take it to the next step. But, I have legit been sitting here writing and not getting up for the two hours and it feels like I'm going blind, lol. But yeah, I really hope you enjoyed chapter 10 and I think I'm also going to write tomorrow. So I may have chapter 11 out at a similar time. See you next chapter, with the surprise.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Okay, so since the last chapter was a bit longer than I expected, this is going to be a small chapter (like a really small chapter) just the surprise unfortunately, but in the next chapter I will have a smoky Waige event, as a way to test the thickness of the walls, lol. But, at least I have updated three days in a row. Hope you enjoy.

There were no more cases for the rest of the week. Wednesday was a very long day, first that case, then Ralph being sick and the long night. Walter ended up going home after dinner on Thursday, he insisted staying with Ralph for the following day. Ralph started feeling better, and didn't end up throwing up since the day that Drew was watching him.

Being able to rest for the rest of the week was very nice, it made her Saturday feel like a Monday. She got a phone call from Walter that morning saying that Ralph's room was complete. Paige was somewhat surprised, considering he only had one day to spend on setting up the room. But, it was kind of expected because, well, that was Walter.

"Hey Ralph, since you're feeling better do you want to go to the garage today?" Paige asked as she walked into the family room where he was watching TV.

"Sure!" He exclaimed, Ralph hadn't been to the garage in days, and it was one of his favorite places. "When can we go?"

Paige looked at the time, "Uh, whenever you want."

Ralph jumped up from the couch, "I want to go now."

Paige laughed, "Okay. Well, let me get my car keys and purse and we can go."

About twenty minutes later the pair arrived at the garage. "Hello?" Paige called.

Walter ran down the stairs, "Hey, guys." A smile crept on his face. "Hey Ralph, I uh, I have to show you something that I think you're really going to like."

Ralph smiled, whatever Walter told him he trusted. He trusted Walter when he said that he was going to keep him and his mother safe. He trusted him when he said that he was going to save a lot of people during that bombing case, and he promised that he would take care of Ralph and his mother which he proved when he helped him recover from his virus. So, he trusted Walter that he was going to love whatever he was going to show him. "Okay."

Walter led Paige and Ralph up the stairs to the loft. He walked at a decent speed to a back area of the loft that Ralph and Paige have actually never even been in. There was an empty size, decent room that would easily fit Ralph.

"Alright, here we go," Walter opened the door and slowly, Ralph walked in.

He observed the room, the deep blue walls, the bed, the desk. A shelving unit filled with intriguing decorations that Ralph absolutely loved, especially the plane trio. He couldn't help but wonder where Walter got all of these little trinkets, and how Walter knew he would love them. But, they did think the exact same, so he obviously liked them too. But, the one thing that made his room feel almost better than his actual room at his home was that Walter got him a desktop computer for his room, it was sitting right on his desk.

Paige was in essentially the same state of mind as Ralph, it was simple, yet extravagant at the same time. All the money that was probably spent on this room, but she appreciated it and she knew that if she told Walter that he spent too much money not just for the room but for the computer, that he would think that she didn't really like the gesture. So, she made an agreement with herself that she wouldn't say anything about the money, instead she would just enjoy the room. "Wow, Walter this is so amazing. I can't believe you did this in a little over a day." She walked up to Ralph and smoothed out his hair.

Ralph took another second to give the room a one-over, "I love it, Walter. Thank you." He enveloped Walter into a hug.

Walter reciprocated and laughed, "No problem, I'm glad you like it. It's all yours, you can come and relax and play on your computer. I uploaded some software on here that will make it load at a faster rate."

Ralph was speechless, he was so shocked about getting his own room at the garage. He knew he could be anywhere in the garage that he wanted to but it was nice to have a place that he could stay in and just relax in. He was hoping that his mom would let him sleep at the garage that night, it was Saturday so there was no reason that he couldn't sleep there. "Thank you Walter." He said again as he nuzzled his head on Walter's shoulder a little bit more. He wasn't quite sure how to show him he cared physically but he was trying.

Paige smiled at them, once again, the cutest sight to be seen. And almost like she read Ralph's mind, "You know what why don't you stay the night here, if Walter doesn't mind." She offered.

Ralph pulled away slightly from Walter, "Can I?" He asked.

"Sure, why not. I was hoping that you'd be able to anyway." He smiled. He stood up, finally concluding their hug.

They all sat there looking around at the new room, and all the great opportunities all of them would be able to have because of this room. For one maybe Walter and Paige could get to the next level, and Ralph would be able to spend more time at the garage. This is one of the best additions to the garage, but obviously Paige and Ralph were the best.

Hope you enjoyed, I honestly had no idea how to end this, lol. But, yeah next chapter should be good. I just wanted a short little one. So yeah, thanks for making it this far lol. See you next chapter.


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